After Day 5
by Bauerspirit
Summary: The final installment of this series. What could have happened as the clock ticked over at the end of day 5?


24: Alternate Scene

Episode 5.25: "After Day 5"

By

Chris Wright

Based on the television series 24

**24: Alternate Scene – After Day 5**

Jack stared up at the advancing group of Chinamen cracking their knuckles and flexing their muscles and grinned through the pain. His whole body ached and his head felt as though it was floating above him on a sea of fire. He had lay not so long ago as the same men had kicked, punched and beat his broken and bruised body to a pulp. They had been masked, but their identity was unmistakeable. Even before they had dragged him in front of the vengeful Cheng Tzi, he knew who they were and why he was there. He had begged for one phone call – just one act of mercy – but even he was unaware who he intended to call. The obvious choice was CTU, but what they could have done was debateable. He had no idea where he was, and even less of an idea of whether they would risk enraging the Chinese further by going after him. After all, he was just one man.

He braced himself as the men advanced and closed his eyes, trying to prepare himself for the worst.

Outside the hold, Cheng walked briskly with an assistant, chattering on the phone to the Chinese ambassador to America. He spoke quickly in perfect Chinese as if he was afraid of someone overhearing.

"You have the American in custody?" the Ambassador asked anxiously.

"Yes. His past has finally caught up with him. You need to make sure no-one can trace him to us."

"I will. I doubt the American's will risk ruining their relations with us over one man."

"You would be surprised…" Cheng said wistfully, staring into space.

"What is your ETA?"

"I'm done here so I will catch my flight at LAX within the hour. I will land in Beijing 8am local time."

"And what about our precious cargo?" the Ambassador smirked.

"He has another fourteen days of hell ahead of him Mr. Ambassador. He will arrive in due course."

"Good. Contact me when you land in Beijing."

"I will. Thank you for giving me this opportunity Mr. Ambassador."

"It was my pleasure. China cannot let its enemies go free."

Cheng ended the call and rushed away with his assistant towards the surface to the helicopter that would arrive shortly. It had made its quick escape to circle the area after dropping Jack Bauer's lifeless body barely thirty minutes ago. Cheng knew that CTU would try it's best to at least investigate Bauer's disappearance; but he also knew that it would be foolish to probe further and run the risk of provoking a superpower. He smiled a little at a job well done as his assistant threw open the door to the deck. The rising sun spread over his smiling face, making him feel as though he was reborn.

Not too far away, Audrey Raines paced frantically around the printing facility parking lot clutching at her blouse as the implications of what had just happened ran through her head. She knew Jack had enemies, but that only made it harder to pin down who had actually taken him. There was an almost certain idea in her head though; one that was only made more certain by the memory of the Asian agent who had called Jack away from her. Suddenly everything she should have done came flooding back; signaling her eyes to fill with tears. She had had the chance to tell him that she loved him; that she couldn't live without him; that she had never stopped loving him; but she didn't. She had let him go, to take a seemingly routine phone call from his daughter. And now he was gone, and she didn't know whether he would come back.

She wheeled around as she heard someone calling her name; scared that someone was coming for her now. She saw a tall, worried looking agent holding a cell-phone with the mouthpiece covered.

"Ms. Raines, I have Bill Buchanan for you."

"That's what they said to Jack…"

The Agent realized his mistake quickly and shuffled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry Ms. Raines, that was insensitive of me…Jack's going to be OK."

"How can you say that? How can you know?"

"Because he's a survivor. Men like him don't go down without a fight."

There was a gradual certainty in the Agent's voice that reassured Audrey a little; but only so much as to trust him enough to take the phone. She grabbed it and managed a small forced smile before answering.

"Bill, he's gone!"

"What do you mean Audrey?" Bill asked, still unaware of why Audrey Raines had requested to talk to him, especially so soon after the crisis had been averted.

"Jack's gone! Someone told him there was a phone call from Kim and now he's missing!"

"Slow down Audrey. Tell me exactly what happened."

"I've already told every Agent here, talk to them about it! You need to get Chloe to find out who took him Bill!"

Bill looked around the CTU bullpen frantically, finding no trace of Chloe or Morris. "She's not here Audrey. She's on her way out of CTU."

"Find her Bill! She would want to find Jack!"

"I'll do my best Audrey. Give me a few minutes and I'll get her back in. Make sure all CTU agents at the facility are looking for him."

"They already are Bill," she sneered, ending the call.

Bill sighed deeply and re-dialed his phone. Chloe O'Brian wouldn't be going home just yet.

"I've got something Bill!" Chloe yelped excitedly, almost leaping from her chair. She paced over to the station he was sitting at and tapped a few commands until her screen was echoed in his. A satellite image of the facility popped up showing the whole building and part of its exterior. He saw groups of objects that must have been people on one side – presumably the Agents that came to arrest Jack. Chloe didn't wait for the image to finish loading before beginning to babble.

"This is the image at just before 6:30am this morning, just before Jack Bauer was arrested." Chloe pointed to the figures outside the building. "That's the Agents who arrested him. Now if we fast forward until just before 6:45…" she said, as the video moved forward at great pace until it stopped with even more figures waiting outside the building. "Now I can't be sure, but I think that's Audrey Raines and Jack," she said, pointing now to two close-by figures, "and then Jack goes back in to the building…"  
"That's good Chloe. Can we see inside the building from this view?"

"No. The building's too big, the infra-red signal for Jack – and whoever else was in there – isn't strong enough. But…" she continued, moving forward frame by frame ever so slowly, "…if we move forward a little more, someone leaves the back way and doesn't stop." The screen showed a group of five men who seemed to be dragging something awkwardly to a waiting vehicle.

"Get that licence plate," Bill said with focus, as Chloe wheeled away to an adjacent station to ready the plate checking software.

"Got it! Foxtrot-Alpha-Kilo-Nine-Five!"

Chloe was silent for a second as she ran the plates, but she was already two steps ahead of Bill. "I'm searching traffic cameras for any trace of the vehicle, give me five minutes."

Bill nodded and stood up from his station, holding a hand to his forehead, trying to stop the noise of chaos ringing in his head.

The Presidential motorcade belied the real reason for its journey as it snaked through the rural areas of Los Angeles and back to the Presidential Retreat. Most of the journeys the vehicle had made had been triumphant; in fact it had been used to transport David Palmer to his glorious speech following the nuclear bomb explosion in the Mojave Desert. President Logan had almost decommissioned the vehicle after realizing what had happened not long before, but for once he had denied his superstitious side. But unfortunately for him, this journey would not prove to be triumphant in any way. He stared out the window absent mindedly at the scenery passing by at great speed. His reign as President began suddenly, but it had now come to an end even more abruptly. He was being driven to the location where we would resign from his post in exchange for clemency – something which he believed he didn't deserve. He had done some terrible things that day, and although he didn't want them to happen, they had, and he couldn't help but feel responsible. But even in all the desperation, he was satisfied that he had tied up one final loose end.

"I'm afraid you have to stay here Mr. President," a burly Secret Service Agent murmured as he blocked Logan's exit from the tiny room he now found himself in. Just hours ago, he had had the freedom of the Presidential retreat; able to walk through the many examples of opulence that the building provided. But now he was confined to a single room with only one small window providing daylight. He only had one more request, and he was determined to get it.

"What should I call you?" he said, smiling at the Agent.

"I'm Agent Graves," the suit mumbled, hardly moving.

"Agent Graves; until I officially resign, I am still the President of this country, and you will treat me as such."

"I'm sorry Mr. President, but my orders are to keep you in this room until the proper preparations are made."

"What does that mean?" Logan said, suddenly fearful.

"The Attorney General is drawing up the papers for your resignation. Hal Gardner has been informed and he is on his way back here."

Logan hung his head at the thought of having to face his Vice President again. After all the lies he had told, he ranked just behind Martha as the one he regretted most.

"I only ask one thing of you Agent Graves…"

"I'm sorry Mr. President…"

"Let me finish!" Logan snapped, interrupting the burly Agent and finally causing his eyes to move, "Please. I need to make one phone call. That is the one right of a prisoner isn't it?"

The Agent moved his eyes upwards again and looked away from the much smaller Charles Logan.

"Call in your boss and ask him; I'm sure he'll agree with me."

Graves seemed to be considering the request before turning his eyes downward again to the pitiful frame of the sitting President.

"You can have one phone call."

"Thank you Agent Graves," Logan said, bowing his head and attempting to leave. Just as he reached the brick-house of a man, he found a large hand on his shoulder, squeezing it, removing all life.

"My boss used to be Aaron Pierce. Do you remember him? You ordered his death a few hours ago. Well I'm pleased to announce to you that your mole of a Secret Service Agent was killed in the process of that order…by your wife." Graves let the words sink in to Logan's shocked but solemn face before continuing. "Her and Aaron had quite the thing going on Charles. I'm sure they'll be very happy once you're in hiding. And make no mistake Charles, the only place you will ever gain peace, is somewhere hidden far away from anyone. You were responsible for the death of one of the greatest Presidents this county has ever seen. Always remember that."

Graves stared deep into Logan's terrified eyes before releasing his shoulder and pushing the tiny man out into the corridor.

"The phone is in the room across from you," Graves jeered as he gave him another little push. Logan half stumbled half ran into the room before looking back, desperate for privacy. "You have one minute," the Agent said, before slamming the door behind him.

Logan would have let his heart-rate settle before acting, but time was of the essence. He searched his brain for the number he had been given for a situation such that the one he was in and dialed it frantically, praying for an answer.

"Hello Charles," a familiar voice said.

"Is this line secure?"

"Yes."

"They found me Graham."  
"I know Charles. Martha and Jack outsmarted you it seems."  
"The main thing is that they don't know of your involvement…your continuing involvement…" he let the words hang in the air, hoping for confirmation.

"If you're looking for reassurance Charles then of course we will not run away from this. But unfortunately, you are no longer useful."

Panic gripped Logan's throat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You screwed up Charles. You failed to tie up the loose ends, and for that you have become a risk."

"No. You can't do this to me Graham!"

"I'm sorry Charles. I wish it could be different, but you know the way it works."

"They won't interrogate me, not for anything incriminating you! You don't need to kill me!"

"How so Charles?"

"Because I'm the only one who knows where Jack Bauer is right now."

Logan held his breath. He had used his trump card much earlier than he had anticipated, and now prayed that it would work. There was a long pause before Graham spoke again.

"Maybe you tied up a few more loose ends than I had first thought. With Bauer out of the picture things become easier for us. As long as he is missing, you remain useful. Keep it that way. Goodbye Charles."

Graham ended the call abruptly and left Logan with his heart pounding. The call had not went exactly as expected, but the gist of it was the same. He may have been a casualty, but Graham's war would still be waged. He smoothed down his immaculate suit and exited the room, ready to face whatever lay ahead of him.

Back at CTU, Chloe watched in horror as she watched the final frames of Jack's disappearance play out on the screen in front of her. She watched as he was bundled into a helicopter from the vehicle she had been tracking, watched as a few more punches and kicks were leveled at his already battered and bleeding body. But that wasn't the thing that frightened her – the thing that chilled her to the bone – most.

"Bill?" she called quietly. Her boss approached hopefully, a look that soon turned to stone as he too saw the images. He heaved a huge breath of anguish as the race of Jack's kidnappers became evident. Most still retained their masks, but the faces of some of the men who had exited the chopper were all, without exception, Chinese.

Audrey jumped a little as her cell-phone vibrated, signaling a long awaited call. She snatched it out of her pocket and quickly answered, parying that it was good news.

"Have you found him Bill?"

"Audrey…it's not good news."

"What do you mean?" she said, her voice wavering.

"It's the Chinese Audrey. They came back. They were the ones who took Jack."

"What does that matter?! Find where they took him!"

"It's not that simple Audrey. Eighteen months ago we had to fake his death to throw them off Jack's scent, but now they're back. How do you think they're going to make us look?"

"What are you saying Bill?"

Bill paused, gathering himself. "I'm saying that we can't go after him."

Audrey's heart almost stopped as she felt her blood run cold. "No. You can't do this."  
"If we go through the proper channels, they'll just deny all knowledge. Going through any other method would be an act of war. This country is bigger than Jack Bauer."

"Are you Bill?" Audrey cried, tears beginning to flow, "Are you bigger than Jack?"

"Jack is a great man. Wherever he is, he is going to find a way out. I am not giving up on him."

"That's exactly what you're doing Bill. This conversation is over."

Then without letting Bill even utter a word of reply, she ended the call, already moving over to the SUV she had brought to the scene. She got in and slammed the door behind her, the tears now streaming down her pale face. She punched the steering wheel and windshield in grief and anger at CTU's inability to act, but from that moment vowed that even if all others did, she would not give up on Jack. She loved him.

And she would always love him.

Bill turned to find Chloe glaring at him.

"You're giving up?"

"Chloe, please. I'm not giving up on him. Keep running the satellite and find out where that chopper goes."

"Why? What are you going to do when you find out?"

Bill stuttered an answer but then stopped, unsure of himself.

"Exactly, you'll do nothing. You're too scared of getting your hands dirty to help a man who has given his life to this office, and to this country. I am not working towards Jack Bauer's staged funeral. Not again."

Chloe stood up from her terminal and clutched her cardigan, moving swiftly away from Bill. He called after her, but he knew it was hopeless. He hated the fact that Jack Bauer, even once captured, still had some sort of spirit rule over the office of CTU. But he accepted it.

Fourteen days later…

Darkness had spread over the East Shanghai docks hours ago. The shadows of the tankers already anchored there were vast and stretched over the buildings and outhouses to the dirt roads beyond. There was little activity around the dock area, save for a few rats fighting over some scraps of mouldy bread, thrown by long gone sailors. Only one man was present, but he didn't feel the loneliness – only elation.

Cheng Tzi watched as a wooden walkway was unfurled from the nearest tanker, and smiled as it thudded to the pier, shaking the very foundations. He glanced up to the top of the walkway and initially saw no-one. He told himself to be patient, and that the moment would come. And then, suddenly, it did. A crooked figure was dragged by the arms down the gangway and onto the pier. The object was dropped a few times on the way, but eventually the sorry excuse for a man was dumped at Cheng's feet with little care. He looked down and saw a small man, covered in welts, bruises, burns and gashes. He wore just a torn pair of pilot's trousers – the top part of his overalls having long since been discarded to aid the torture. The man didn't move, and seemed to be either dead or unconscious. Cheng remembered the words he had said to the same man around a fortnight ago, and hoped for the latter. Smelling salts were thrust underneath the man's nose until he came to, spluttering and coughing as clouds of blood and dust escaped from his mouth. Cheng slowly bent down and lifted the man's head carefully, as though he was handling a fine piece of crockery.

"Welcome home Mr. Bauer."


End file.
